Chapter 1: Early Summer Summer in Xicheng always began with the fading of wisteria blossoms and the falling of sycamore fluff. In the blink of an eye, thick green shade filled the view. May 17. Auspicious for offering sacrifices and praying for blessings; inauspicious for moving house or installing doors. In the afternoon, during an outdoor sketching session, a group of students sat lined up along the curb of Humanities Avenue. Zhou Mo set up her easel, but she had yet to make a single stroke. Her…